Missoula for Bears

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Missoula for Bears

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Citizens dedicated to helping reduce conflicts with Grizzly and Black Bears around Missoula.

10/31/2026

As we get further into the fall it’s important to remember that bears are still out and about and some will continue to be well into December. A few things to keep in mind this fall:

- Do not get complacent. That means out recreating or with securing attractants. Please continue to keep bird feeders put away, garbage stored within a sturdy enclosure or bear resistant containers, and electric fences turned on. Keeping attractants secured is how you can keep your friends, family, and neighbors safe, while helping keep bears out of trouble.

-Hunting season is gut pile season. Stay hyper vigilant out in the woods. Carry bear spray and know how to use it. If you smell something bad, see/hear a lot of scavenging birds or see a lot of bear sign, leave the area. If you’re not hunting make a lot of noise when out recreating to let the bears know you’re around and give them time to move off.

-Please continue to report conflicts to FWP bear specialists. Do not wait to report conflicts as we don’t want conflicts to escalate. The sooner we know the sooner we have the opportunity to help you and bears.

-Bears like pumpkins. Leaving them on porches means bears learn to get food rewards at your house. Please take them in at night if you can.

-If you hunt and successfully fill your tag, do your best to field dress and take care of the carcass as quick as possible. If you hang it, make sure to hang it at least 10ft off the ground. Do not leave it in the back of your truck or you’ll end up with bears climbing into your truck beds or destroying toppers. If kept within a sturdy enclosure: keep lights on, keep the carcass away from doors and windows, and turn a radio on to create the idea of human presence.

Thanks for doing your part to live and recreate responsibly and safely in bear country!

10/25/2026

With Halloween right around the corner, it’s time to be extra BearWise. Well, it’s always time to be BearWise, but pay particular attention to those pumpkins and candy or food that might be left outside during this time of year. Bears are busy packing on pre-hibernation pounds, searching for food up to 20 hours a day. And pumpkins are a real treat for bears. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals and tasty fiber. Pumpkin seeds have 300 calories a cup! Candy is loaded with high-energy sugar and calories. Chocolate is a real killer. It contains theobromine, which is toxic to bears and can cause serious illness and heart failure.

Bears are not polite, and don’t believe in sharing. A bear will treat itself to the entire bowl…and those real pumpkins you thought were fall décor. And come back later looking for more. That’s why it’s so important to never feed or approach bears. Keep your candy and real pumpkins inside. Won’t be home? Ask someone who loves Halloween to lend a hand. Or hire a teenager who’s too old to trick or treat to hand out your goodies.

Thanks for planning ahead for a BearWise Halloween!

Visit our website to read BearWise Basics #1: Never Feed or Approach Bears. There are 6 At Home BearWise Basics - get them all on our website.

10/22/2026

Servheen cautioned against assuming that bears seeking human food are necessarily starving. He compared the appeal of an easily accessible, calorie-rich meal to walking into an ice cream store.

“It’s like putting yourself or myself in an ice cream store,” he said. “It’s not that you’re starving, it’s just that you’re near such a good, concentrated thing to eat. Why should you go anywhere else to get food when it’s right in front of you? Even during years when natural food is plentiful, bears will take advantage of an easy meal.”

Article link in comments.

10/22/2026

After suspected illegal feeding drew 15 habituated bears to a single property, biologists faced a public safety crisis. Here is why relocating food-conditioned wildlife almost never works.

Click the link in the comments to read the full story.

10/20/2026

“The bears show us where the problems are,” he said. “They introduce us to the people that have chronic attractant issues. We’ll have a group of 10 houses and everyone’s doing everything right. Then one new person will move in and in the course of one summer retrain all of the local bears to start visiting their house, and then next thing you know all heck’s broken loose.”

Across much of the United States, a warm winter and persistent drought have decimated the natural foods that black and brown bears rely on.

10/10/2026

Neighbors don’t always play by the rules and you can get help dealing with people who won’t listen to reason. Do what you have to do to keep bears out of trouble. You have a voice.

https://missoulacountyvoice.com/bear-smart-missoula/widgets/73405/faqs

10/04/2026

10/03/2026

It’s depressing how many times people have been asked to take down their GD bird feeders. Grow up people. Show some respect for … your neighbors who may not want bears visiting the block… for wildlife managers who get stuck having to kill beautiful innocent animals after practically BEGGING the public to be bear aware, and most of all, show some respect and compassion for the bears.
A
FED
BEAR
IS
A
DEAD
BEAR

get with it

"For all the times that we’ve been preaching about bird seed, I am still seeing people with so many bird feeders out. That is so discouraging. Bird seed is one of the toughest, it’s highly addictive. It’s like a gateway drug for bears. They start going from house to house seeking out bird seed. If you’ve got bears walking on porches, you’ve got a bear trained up by bird seed."

- Jamie Jonkel, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Bear Management Specialist. Pictured here with a sedated grizzly.

Address

Missoula, MT

Telephone

+12083103311

Website

https://gofund.me/24bba4fc

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